What is company culture?

What is company culture? Organizational culture is often used interchangeably with company culture, as both refer to the shared values, beliefs, and behaviors that define how a company operates.

Company culture is the environment that develops based on the workplace’s values, beliefs, management style, behaviors and procedural norms. Shared values are especially important, as they guide decision-making, foster trust, and align employees toward common goals.

It’s generally defined by employees’ interpretation of the collective work experience. Employee behavior both reflects and shapes company culture, influencing collaboration, workplace environment, and overall company success.

Why work culture is important for attracting candidates

Salary and benefits are often important to job seekers, but many candidates also want to feel like they’re a valued part of your team. Some workers might appreciate a highly collaborative structure within a laid-back environment.

The ideal work atmosphere isn’t the same for every employee. By sharing what makes your organization unique, you can recruit candidates who may be more likely to succeed in your company’s environment. An organization’s mission and mission statement play a crucial role in defining company culture, as they communicate your core values and purpose. Clearly articulating these elements can attract candidates who resonate with your goals and vision.

How you describe your company culture in job descriptions may affect how candidates perceive your company. Company culture defines the internal environment, employee interactions, and even your external reputation. It can help them decide whether it has an environment that matches their values and preferences, potentially persuading them to apply.

Ways to share work culture

You might share your company culture with job seekers through:

• Company website: Consider designing a separate page with team testimonials about the company culture and photos that reinforce the ideas. Gathering employee feedback to ensure authenticity can make these testimonials more impactful. Linking your career page to the culture page may encourage job seekers to read more.
• Job advertisements: Including information about your company’s culture can improve job postings. Highlighting the employee experience in your ads can attract candidates who value a positive and engaging workplace.
• Job site profiles: When your company posts on job sites, you can typically add a company description. Consider including work culture details in this area.
• Interviews: Candidates may be familiar with the work environment when interviewing with your company. However, your hiring managers can reinforce and elaborate on that knowledge by discussing work culture during the interview. Involving existing team members in the interview process can give candidates a real sense of the culture.
• Social media: Your team can share videos and photos on the company’s social media platforms to highlight culture. Having employees share their perspectives can help attract more applicants.

Use language that caters to the candidate

The words you use to describe company culture in your job descriptions reflects the way a candidate perceives your company’s culture before they even set foot in the door. And being aware of the best way to describe your company culture might just put your job posting over the edge for a prospective candidate.

When writing your company culture description, think twice about the words you use. Supportive, flexible, rewarding — all words that a candidate wants to read when they look into a company’s culture. Would you say your company is fun and engaging? Supportive and rewarding? Is it a challenging and innovative environment?

Additionally, remember to choose words that mirror the general vibe of your workplace. If you’re describing the culture at a blue jeans-friendly office, use language that reflects the laid-back atmosphere (e.g., buzzing, casual). If your organization is more formal, keep your language equally as modest. Anything else is dishonest and can mislead the candidates. Encourage employees to bring their authentic selves to work, as this fosters a sense of belonging and helps create a positive organizational culture.

So how are companies putting this into practice? Look at how this company uses tone to highlight its values on their company culture page:

Words like “weirdness” and “spirit” aren’t used in just any company culture description. They set this company apart, making it an attractive company to work for. Communicating the right culture through your tone is essential to attract the best candidates who align with your organizational values.

Additionally, you might want to avoid using hashtags and emoji if you’re trying to hire a formal employee base, so make sure your tone matches the attitude you’re looking for. When describing your company culture, consider how culture fit plays a role in hiring and whether your language accurately reflects the type of candidate who will thrive in your environment.

On the flip side, less formal companies should dare to be more playful in the language they use. Perhaps you work for an app or young startup, for instance, and the use of emoji and hashtags in company descriptions is fitting — maybe even expected.

Check out how this company has more fun with their company culture description:

This company isn’t afraid to show a little personality in their job descriptions to help candidates understand what’s in store for them if they join the team. And this company description lets applicants know upfront that it’s a fun (maybe even silly, at times) place to work, which is a huge selling point for many.

Avoid using clichés and buzzwords

Think back to high school when your English teacher would knock points off your essay for every needless cliché you stuffed in there to meet your word count. If nothing else, you should avoid clichés for a very simple reason: they’re boring. And you can’t afford to be boring when you want a job posting that drives candidate engagement or sells your company culture. Instead, focus on the key elements that make your culture unique, such as trust, transparency, and inclusion.

Common clichés we see in job descriptions include:

• “Work hard, play hard”
• “Fast-paced environment”
• “We’re all a big family”

These overused phrases have all but completely lost their meaning — and candidates can see right through them. As an example, take a look at this culture description:

This description doesn’t say a lot in these two sentences and falls back on clichés like “fast-paced environment” and “highly efficient and motivated.” Avoid describing your culture with just words; instead, provide real examples that show what makes your environment different.

Similarly, in the following example we see a real company base their entire company culture description off of overused buzzwords:

“Team-oriented,” “people-oriented” and “outcome-oriented” don’t mean much to a candidate, as most companies—if not all—do this to some degree. Instead, use real examples with specific facts instead, such as:

• “Break room with ping pong, a large-screen TV and endless snacks”
• “Up to three weeks of PTO allotted per year to encourage a healthy work/life balance”
• “Regular company and team offsites encourage a tight-knit workplace”
• “Open office layout promotes collaboration, conversation and teamwork to drive results.”

A great culture is demonstrated through actions, not just words. Show how your organization lives its values through tangible practices and benefits.

When hiring talent, providing factual, usable information in your culture profile helps prospective candidates get a feel for your company right away. It also helps you weed out the candidates early on in the prospecting process that would never have gelled with the culture in the first place.

Related:Establishing an Incredible Team Culture: Five Things to Try

Highlight things that make your employees happy to promote a positive company culture

Coffee and snacks are pretty expected these days, but what else do you offer? Are you that company that hires a bakery to deliver personalized snacks to your employees? Do you take them axe-throwing for team building trips or have weekly happy hours? You’ll definitely want to tell your candidates all about how personalized and fun your office culture is. Not only will candidates get excited about the position, but they’ll start to picture themselves as part of your team.

Here’s an example of how one company lists its perks:

These are standard benefits for full-time roles. Even if you neglect to include these in your company culture description, the candidate assumes them. Your job as the writer of a company culture description is to take it further than a bare-bones summary.

But what happens when your organization doesn’t offer additional perks like coffee bars or work laptops? In cases like these, be creative to explain (in detail) what’s great about the perks you do have. How many hours of PTO are offered per year? How does your health insurance stack up against the competition? If your company can’t afford to offer additional perks and benefits (like sports tickets and cleaning services), it’s often more important for you to write a standout and attractive company culture description to really reign in that talent.

This company does a great job listing unique benefits for an intern position:

Your current employee base is a potentially untapped resource when it comes to selling your company to prospective candidates. Ask around the office about things that keep your long-term employees sticking around. Consider asking things like “what do you do around the office to take a break? Is it effective?” and “what do you wish we offered here that we currently don’t?”

These questions can help you identify what makes your employees happy, and even discover what you could improve upon to draw in even more candidates. Positive employee experiences can be a strong selling point, as they contribute to higher satisfaction and engagement. Use your findings to dictate exactly what your selling points are in your job descriptions and on your company culture page, and highlight how employees describe the culture in their own words.

That being said, your employees might not reveal all when it comes to their thoughts about the company’s culture. Employee engagement surveys can be a great tool to gather authentic words and descriptions that describe your company’s culture from the source, and the anonymity encourages employees to be more honest, especially when using an employee survey to gather insights and measure cultural strengths and weaknesses.

Related:10 Perks and Benefits for Your Business to Consider

Mention flexible hours and remote work

Surveys estimate that anywhere from 40% to 70% of workers in the US telecommute at least once a week (and that number is sure to grow due to COVID-19). In response, more and more companies are offering flexible hours and remote work as perks to attract candidates. These kinds of benefits let candidates know that your company values work-life balance and will support them in achieving this. Flexible hours and remote work also support employee well-being and mental health by providing a supportive environment that addresses burnout and emotional needs. Showing that your company will help foster the lifestyle a candidate is seeking—and demonstrates a commitment to support employees—could put you at a significant advantage over other companies your top candidates are considering.

Describe office design or location benefits

Does your office have an enviable location? Is it a flagship store in the center of downtown? Or does it have a beautiful view or are you located near the most highly rated restaurants, bars, and cafes in town? If so, feel free to brag a bit. When recruiting talent, take them on a tour of the surroundings in your description to help them imagine what it would be like to work at your office. Highlight your company’s involvement with the local community, as active engagement and support for the surrounding area can enhance the work environment and foster a sense of pride among employees.

Promote career and professional development

Do you offer support for career development? Perhaps your company encourages employees to complete training in their area, offers to pay for conferences, or provides pay raises. As part of a strong company culture, offering growth opportunities and professional development initiatives demonstrates your commitment to employee learning and career advancement. Is this position reporting directly to the CEO or a Vice President? Candidates get excited when the position they apply for gives them the opportunity to learn and grow.

Many candidates will also want to know how your company structures career advancement. Is your company growing fast and promoting from within? Does your company clearly outline paths to promotion? If your company has advancement opportunities, be sure to highlight them, so candidates know your company will help their career goals.

Be sure to mention if the career development benefits apply to the specific position or if they’re a part of your company’s general benefits.

Show you understand the importance of their work

When writing your job description, go a step beyond the typical hard and soft skills desired. A job description that can convey the role of their work and its context within their industry can make a candidate feel valued. A strong company culture ensures employees feel recognized and motivated, which helps to motivate employees and align them with organizational objectives and values. When hiring waitstaff for a high-end restaurant, you can express how their work is essential to the restaurant’s success and that integration of the waitstaff and kitchen staff will bring a better dining experience to customers. Feeling that their work will be valued and recognized, and knowing the company prioritizes a positive employees experience, can have a strong impact on a candidate’s desire to join that company.

Highlight a collaborative office culture

Job seekers want to know if they’ll be able to help in meaningful ways at your company. If you’re looking for self-starters and candidates able to bring their own ideas onboard to improve your business, it’s important to mention that. Team members who collaborate and interact effectively can solve challenges together and bring new ideas to the table, driving innovation and growth.

If you offer a collaborative work setting that gives candidates an opportunity to contribute to a variety of projects, include it in your job post. Valuing diverse perspectives and supporting employee resource groups can further enhance inclusion and creativity within your organization. If you want candidates who will roll up their sleeves and contribute their own creativity and passion, make sure to advertise it.

Whatever it is that makes your company unique, find a way to let candidates know. A strong company culture and great company culture help attract top talent and improve company culture, making your organization a more appealing place to work. Salary is often important, but there are so many other factors that candidates may value and you’ll never know what perfect fit might slip by if you don’t take the time to tell your candidates what makes your company culture special.

Anything you can do to set your company apart from the crowd is critical. By reevaluating your advertised company culture, you can take your hiring strategy to the next level and boost your chances of attracting the right candidates for your open positions.